Speculative fiction

Speculative fiction is an umbrella genre of fiction that encompasses all the subgenres that depart from realism, or strictly imitating everyday reality,[1] instead presenting fantastical, supernatural, futuristic, or other imaginative realms.[2] This catch-all genre includes, but is not limited to science fiction, fantasy, horror, slipstream, magical realism,[3] superhero, alternate history, utopian and dystopian, fractured fairy tale, steampunk, cyberpunk, weird fiction, fairytale, and post-apocalyptic. It is often used as a supergenre. The term has been used for works of literature, film, television, drama, video games, radio and their hybrids.[1]

  1. ^ a b Oziewicz, Marek (2017). "Speculative Fiction". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.013.78. ISBN 978-0-19-020109-8. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. ... a super category for all genres that deliberately depart from imitating "consensus reality" of everyday experience. In this latter sense, speculative fiction includes fantasy, science fiction, and horror, but also their derivatives, hybrids, and cognate genres like the gothic, dystopia, weird fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction, ghost stories, superhero tales, alternate history, steampunk, slipstream, magic realism, fractured fairy tales, and more. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  2. ^ "speculative fiction". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  3. ^ Henwood, Belinda (2007). Publishing. Career FAQs. ISBN 978-1-921106-43-9. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2022.